Need Help W/Batteries

[ggonz]

Hello, I have a set of 2000ma reedy zappers set up in a saddle pack configuration.
They were working fine but now they wont take
a charge. I try to charge them on my Tekin 112A and when I plug them in, it gives me the error code EC2, which according to the manual is a power supply failure. I tried lowering the amps but they still fail almost
instantly. If I charge other batteries, it works fine. I'm worries that I may have shorted the batteries during transport. If anyone know anything I could do, I would really appreciate it. THANKS
George
ggonzalez@ixpres.com

[Gabe]

do you have any kind of single cell discharger??? (battery tray)
do you dead short your pack after a PROPER discharge??? don't unless you know how...
have you tried the "P2" charge on the pack...push the start button twice to get it to read "P2"
you could try trickel charging over nite to see if it takes a charge ( 0.20amps for 10 hours)...
BC112a...are you using it plugged into the wall or off a dc power supply...
the 112a should read 19.99 volts when pluged into the wall & no battery pluged in...
It is a picky charger when used off a car battery it needs a good high amp/volt hookup...
I can't use it off my ciggaret lighter, but I can hook it up the car battery... Car off at 12.5v.
It works fine either way when the car is running, it is about 14.4v...
If you damaged a cell or two bummer...the trickle charge may show it some what...the next couple of fast charges (4.0+ amps) will really show the condition of the pack.
saddle packs are the most dangerous to transport fully charged...
think about a battery case to keep each half seperate when not in use...you can make one out of something non-conductive...

[ 08-02-2001: Message edited by: G-RC ]

[ggonz]

thanks. The only discharger I have is a bulb setup. The only other charger I have is an
Einstein one touch and when I plug it into that one, both lights (2 and 4amp) turn on inducating a short or reverse polarity. The wires and connectors look good. Is there a way I can check to see if I damaged a cell? Thanks

George

[Grizzbob]

Yes, if you have a voltmeter. Use the test leads of a voltmeter on each cell of the pack individually, to see what voltage it reads. Normally, even when discharged each cell should read some voltage as long as there's no load on it(if you just pulled it off a discharger, give a little time, & the voltage should come back). If however one doesn't read any voltage, or almost none, then you probably have a shorted cell, & the only thing you can do then is replace the bad cell(sometimes giving it a zap can restore it some, but the chance of it working isn't very good). I had to learn about this stuff at work, one of the units we work on is a backup power supply(for aircraft instruments) that uses a 20 cell pack(of 1200mah NiCd's, no less), & we have to make sure the pack is in good condition or we replace the whole thing..... :)

[ggonz]

thank you. I have a voltmeter, I'll check when I find the darn thing. I have a feeling I shorted a cell and will learn my lesson the hard way on an expensive matched pack! If I have to replace a cell, will it significantly hinder performance? Does anyone sell individual cells? thanks for your help and I'll post my progress.
Can one of you guys give me a quick course in proper battery maintenance. Up until now I have had nothing but cheap sport stick packs and all I did was run them down, hook them up to a light discharger, let them cool and recharge them. Any help would be appreciated

George

[ggonz]

Well I tested the cells on a voltmeter and one is bad. it reads no voltage. So I guess I am screwed unless there is something I can do
to bring it back from the dead.? If not, can I just replace the cell? The pack is a 2000ma Reedy Zapper. Will it significantly affect performance? Thanks to all who have answered so far

George

[Grizzbob]

Well, I'm not sure about who sells individual cells, but for battery maintanence, I'm wondering if you have a voltage cutoff device inline with your bulb discharger? Without one, the discharger will keep loading the pack until they all go dead, & going that far at that amp load is what can short out cells. Most cutoff devices stop the discharge when the pack goes down to 5.4 volts or so(averages out to about .9volts per cell on a 6 cell pack), & that prevents any cells from being discharged too deeply. I definitely recommend them to anyone who uses a bulb discharger..... :)

[william2001]

I've made that mistake a time or two with my homemade discharger. I need to build or buy a cutoff device as I have taken the packs down way more than I should have by not babysitting them close enough. No shorted cells yet but...........it can't be healthy.